Nevertheless, many have been the lets and impediments, that have been cast in the way, to retard and obstruct the Lord’s work, by Prelacy, supremacy, indulgences, toleration, and absolute tyranny and compliance therewith, enacted by law, and all the mischiefs established by a throne of iniquity since the unhappy restoration of Charles II. to this day.  Yet few have ever zealously contended and fewer have constantly continued in contending, against these obstructions, so obstructive to the cause, many have kept secret the first motions and appearances of these things, while they might have been suppressed and overcome, and the generality have passed them over in silence, and not made known, nor advertised unto evil of these things when declared, by witnessing against these things, when, they could not be otherwise removed or overcome.  Yea, many of us have ourselves cast in lets and impediments, obstructive to the cause, by our defections divisions and disorders against common consent, and precipitances, without common consent even of our brethren adhering to the testimony.  Many a divisive motion hath not been counted dangerous, of those which tended to divide us from the Covenanted cause.  And many a good and necessary motion hath been accounted divisive, namely, such as proposed the necessity of confessing and forsaking sin.

“Besides these and many other breaches of the Articles of the Covenant, in the matter thereof, which concerneth every one of us, to search out and acknowledge before the Lord, as we could wish his wrath to be turned away from us, so have many of us failed exceedingly in the manner of following and pursuing the duties contained therein, not only seeking great things for ourselves, and mixing private interests, and ends concerning ourselves, and friends, and followers, with those things which concern the public good; but many times preferring such to the honour of God and good of his cause; and retarding God’s work until we might carry alongst with us our own interests and designs:  it hath been our way to trust in the means, and to rely upon the arm of flesh for success, albeit the Lord hath many times made us meet with disappointments, and stained the pride of all our glory, by blasting every carnal confidence unto us.  We have followed for the most part the counsels of flesh and blood, and walked more by the rules of policy than piety, and have hearkened more unto men than unto God.”

In the conclusion of the Solemn League and Covenant there is a profession and declaration “before God and the world of our unfeigned desires to be humbled[28] for our own sins and for the sins of these kingdoms[29]; especially that we have not valued, as we ought, the inestimable benefit of the gospel[30], that we have not laboured for the purity[31] and power thereof[32], and that we have not endeavoured to receive Christ into our hearts[33], nor to walk worthy of him in our lives[34], which are the causes of other sins and transgressions